Family
by EnemyOfLove
Summary: MaryxMarshall fix it fic. Picks up at the tail end of season 4 finale and ignores season 5. Rated T for mildish swearing. Disclaimer: I own nothing.
1. Mary I

This is my attempt at a fix-it fic. Because five years later I still think Mary and Marshall are endgame. This story picks up at the end of season 4 and deals with Mary giving birth and how her opinions on family change. Canon compliant through season 4 and then veers sharply.

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING. This is basically just fluff to soothe my shipper soul.

Enjoy! Reviews are appreciated. No hate - please and thank you.

* * *

Mary sighed both at the effort exerted to get herself up and at the sight of her partner, best friend, and perhaps soul mate walking away towards his girlfriends. That was when the pain in her stomach shot through her like she had been stabbed and shot at the same time.

"Marshall!" she gasped out.

He was by her side in an instant, guiding her carefully back to the altar, (Chuppah), speaking calming words that she was only partially hearing. Her entire focus was on the pain in her abdomen and worry for her unborn child.

She noticed somewhat unconsciously as each new person joined her. She heard Abigail's accented voice calling calmly for an ambulance. She noticed Mark's appearance, his panicked features in sharp contrast with Marshall's outward calm. She saw her mother fluttering helplessly next to a cool and collected Stan. But behind them all she noticed Peter, who had been heartbroken just a few hours before, looking on with nothing but concern. She promised herself to try and fix things with him and Brandi.

But all of this was consciously blocked out by pain and the sound of Marshall's voice.

When the paramedics came she grasped Marshall's shirt with all of her strength.

"Don't…" was all she managed to get out before he grasped her hand.

"I'm here with you. All the way."

The paramedics didn't protest when he climbed and back and they were off in a flash. Marshall held her hand and murmured encouragement. Once they were at the hospital however, he was forced to remain behind despite his frantic attempts to keep up with the gurney. Finally she lost his hand as she was pushed into another ward. She blacked out a few seconds later.

* * *

Author's note: hoping to update this fic every few days. It's mostly written but life still happens so stay tuned! Thanks for reading :)


	2. Marshall I

Chapter 2!

The story continues from Marshall's point of view. This chapter contains what I think Abigail should have done. Read on to find out what that is.

Disclaimer: I still own nothing :(

* * *

As they wheeled Mary away Marshall flashed back to the night she had been shot for a single, heart-stopping, gut-wrenching moment. Like that night he sunk to the ground, the only difference being that he wasn't completely hopeless for her life. Stan found him first, kneeling down beside him, gripping his shoulder.

"What's happening?" He asked, his voice strained with anxiety.

"I don't know. Her blood pressure is up and they think she might go into shock if they cut into her."

"She's gonna be fine, Marshall. She's a fighter. Come on. We should be with the others."

Marshall nodded and gripped Stan's hand to help him up. They made their way to the waiting room where Jinx, Mark, Peter, and Abigail waited. They all looked at him eagerly for new information that he didn't have, so he shrugged lamely. The others returned to their pacing, sitting, or staring.

He sank down in a chair next to Stan, staring at the door, willing a doctor to come in. Suddenly, he vehemently wished they had a perp to catch; someone he could blame for Mary's condition; something he could hunt. He felt completely out of control. Before he could punch a wall, someone held out a cup of coffee and he took it wish a mumbled thanks. Looking up at Abigail who was wearing a sympathetic look, he knew in that moment – well, actually he'd known since the night Mary had told him to move into the Prairie Style apartment – he needed to tell her the truth, so he stood up.

"Can we talk?" He asked quietly.

She nodded, appearing to already know what he was going to say. He led her out of the waiting room and down the hall to an empty alcove.

"Abigail, I'm so sorry, but I haven't been fair to you. I'm in love with Mary and…"

She pressed a finger to his lips.

"I know, Marshall. I understand."

"You know?" he asked confused.

"I know. I've known for a while I think."

"Are you mad?"

She smiled slightly.

"No, I'm not mad. And I hope you aren't upset, but I'm not leaving until I know she's out of the woods. She's my friend too, even if we don't admit it."

Marshall smiled.

"You're an amazing woman, Detective Chaffey."

She kissed him on the cheek as she walked away. Marshall expected to feel sadder, but he was still for only a moment before hurrying back to the waiting room, not wanting to miss anything by accident.

They waited for hours with the doctor coming in only once to ask if she'd had any recent falls. Stan and Marshall answered with a resounding "yes". The doctor nodded and left again.

Eleven agonizing hours later, the doctor returned looking haggard but pleased.

"She's stable and resting."

Everyone let out a sigh of relief.

"And the baby?" Marshall asked, earning a look of contempt from Mark.

"The baby girl is premature and cannot breathe on her own. Her heart function is also labored. There's no way to say for sure, but for right now she too is stable. The next forty-eight hours are critical."

"Can we see Mary?" Jinx asked anxiously.

"One of you. She asked for a 'Mar…" she didn't finish the name."

"Mark started for the door when Jinx piped up, "Marshall, you go. Please. I think she meant you."

Marshall was surprised but nodded and started to follow the doctor when a hand clamped down on his shoulder. He whirled, livid.

"That's my baby and my wife."

" ** _Ex_** -wife," Marshall hissed.

Peter and Stan grabbed Mark as he tried to swing.

"Marshall, go, now," Stan ordered.

He didn't waste another moment, following the doctor to her room. Mary looked weak and exhausted, her breathing ragged and uneven. Striding to her bedside, he grabbed her hand gently though she was asleep.

"Marshall," she whispered before she fidgeted in her slumber.

The sound warmed his hear, and any doubt the he was the one she'd asked for evaporated. Gently, he pressed his lips to her sweaty forehead.

Settling into the chair, he continued to hold her hand, resting his head on the edge of her bed. Exhausted and relieved he eventually fell asleep.

* * *

Author's note: Thanks for reading! More still to come. How will Mary feel about her baby?


	3. Marshall II

Summary: This chapter is still from Marshall's point of view and goes from when he wakes up by Mary's bed until the end of the day. Assuming that by the time all was said and done it was already morning when he was brought into her room so he wakes up in the late afternoon. I'm not sure how far along Mary was in the show so I made a judgement call.

Apologies if you're a Mark fan - but if you're reading this I assume you're not.

Rating T: For swearing

Disclaimer: I own nothing, sadly.

Reviews are appreciated as always. No hate please!

* * *

He awoke to someone running fingers through his hair.

"Thank you," she murmured.

"For what?" he asked curiously as he held her other hand with both of his.

She continued to stroke his hair; it seemed to calm her, so he didn't protest.

"For staying with me."

He met her gaze equally intensely.

"Always," he promised.

"How's my baby?" she asked, an edge of panic in her voice.

"Critical, but stable," he stated firmly, emphasizing the stable part.

"Was it a boy or a girl?"

"A girl. Already a fighter."

He couldn't hide his smile.

"Of course she is," Mary said somewhat smugly, but Marshall could hear the relief in her voice. "Is Jinx here?"

Marshall nodded. "Do you want me to go get her?"

"Yes, please."

He risked a kiss to her forehead now that she was awake and was pleased and surprised when he met only a sigh of contentment. Moving quickly to the waiting room, he stuck his head in and called for Jinx, surprised to see Brandi there as well, talking quietly to Peter. Abigail was nowhere in sight.

"Mary's up and asking for you."

Jinx, Brandi, and Mark all stood. Stan looked pointedly at Marshall who nodded. Stan let out a long breath. Marshall led the way to her room, remaining in the doorway once they were inside. Brandi and Jinx rushed to either side of her bed.

"How are you feeling?"

"Are you okay?"

"What hurts?"

Their questions began to overlap and Mary rolled her eyes.

"It hurts like a bitch. But I'm alright. Squish, what are you doing here?"

"Mom called and said you were in the hospital. I had to come back. That's what family does, isn't it?"

Mary smiled, pride glowed in her eyes, but quickly dimmed when she spotted Marshall backing out the door.

"Hey! Doofus! Where the hell do you think you're going? Sit your ass back down. You have a promise to keep."

"You asked for family," he reminded here, having a hard time keeping the grin off his face, while Mark glared at him.

"You are family, moron. Now get back over here."

Mark cleared his throat, grabbing Mary's hand gently and kissing it. She recoiled slightly from the touch, but it didn't phase him.

"Our daughter is so beautiful."

Mary spared him a look, relaxing as Marshall took a seat next to her, laying his had over hers.

"Is she okay?" her voice dropped to barely a whisper.

"The doctors say she'll be fine." Mark assured her.

Marshall's voice was calm and sure, "I told you, women deliver at 37 weeks all the time."

A nurse bustled in and ordered everyone out, citing that visiting hours were over. Mary clutched Marshall's wrist, her eyes frantic.

"Don't go."

"Oh your husband can stay," the nurse stated matter-of-factly.

Marshall started to correct her but stopped when Mary's nails dug into his wrist.

"Thank you," he said with a wince.

Once she left, he looked at Mary with a quizzical look, arching one eyebrow.

"They might take you away from me if they know we're not married."

He leaned his forehead against hers.

"No one's going tot take me from you. They wouldn't dare," he added with a chuckle.

"Yeah? Tell that to my glock," she grumbled.

"That is a safety precaution."

She looked appalled, "What? They think I'm going to shoot up the place?"

"I seem to remember threats of shooting your way in when I was shot, and shooting your way out when you were. They're going off of past experience. In fact, precedent is a law guideline they've used in court rulings since the mid 1300s when…."

"Oh for Christ's sake, Marshall, shut up. I'm in enough pain already."

He shut his mouth, satisfied smirk already in place.

"God you're annoying."

"Do you want me to leave?" he asked playfulling pulling his hand away.

She grabbed for it, "No! No, please don't leave me."

Marshall heard her heart monitor beep erratically and he held one of her hands while he caressed her face with the other.

"I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here. I'm sorry. That was mean."

He kissed her forehead; when he pulled back, she was smiling but her eyes narrowed shrewdly.

"What?" he asked, wondering if he'd overstepped his bounds.

"Just wondering when we got to the point where I won't shoot you for kissing me."

"Around the same time I became family."

"I think you're right, doofus."

Her tone was joking, clearly not meant to offend.

"So how come Stan isn't here?"

Only Marshall could have picked up on the hurt in her voice.

"He is. So is Peter. They're in the waiting room. Do you want me to sneak Stan in?"

"Not tonight. You know Stan is family. He could have come in earlier."

Absentmindedly, she traced the veins on his hand, sending shivers up his spine.

"We weren't sure," he mumbled, trying to control his breathing.

"Well he's a hell of a lot more family than Mark."

Grinding his teeth, Marshall spoke quietly. "I didn't invite him in." He worked to hide the annoyance in his voice. "You know," he said conversationally, "He was almost the one sitting by your bed."

"Oh God. How in the hell did that almost happen? I asked for you!"

Marshall's heart warmed and he smiled.

"Correction. You tried to say my name. You only got out 'Mar'. Mark took that as an invitation."

"So what'd you do? Beat him up?"

"Nah. Jinx told me to go. He took a swing. Stan and Peter grabbed him."

Her hand froze and Marshall looked worriedly to her face.

"Don't fight, Mark. Unless of course it's in front of me," she qualified with a huge grin.

"Are you really that bored already?"

"What do you think?" She asked with narrowed eyes.

"I think there are far more appropriate ways for you to be entertained than violence."

"Oh, yeah, slick? And what did you have in mind?"

"I could…" he just barely stopped himself from saying "kiss you". He couldn't believe what he'd been about to say. She might not shoot him for kissing her forehead, but would definitely shoot him for a kiss on the lips.

"What?" she asked sleepily.

"Sing you to sleep," he lied quickly.

She half-snorted, half-snored.

"Please, don't torture me. Besides, that would keep me up."

"Actually, it won't make a different; the drugs are starting to take effect. You'll be asleep in a few minutes."

"Will you kiss me before they do?"

Marshall froze, and Mary bit her lip almost like she regretted saying it, but she murmured, "Please," when he didn't move.

Her plea broke through everything else and he planted a peck on her forehead.

"No, moron," she yawned, "A real kiss."

Her blazing green eyes were surprisingly alert, despite the pain meds clearly taking effect. He weighed his options carefully, but the honest emotion in her eyes made his decision for him, so he leaned and gently pressed his lips to hers.

"Thank you," she mumbled as he pulled back.

Closing her eyes, she fell asleep moments later. Marshall was feeling warm and tingly all over. He waited until she was in a deep sleep before going to find Stan. He was in the waiting room, nursing yet another cup of coffee.

"How is she?" Stan asked, clearly not willing to rely on Jinx and Brandi's evaluations.

"Mary," was Marshall's simple response.

Stan visibly relaxed.

"Has she threatened to shoot yet?"

"Nah, she knows they took her glock. She's asleep now. But she wants to see you in the morning. Why don't you go home and get some rest?"

"What about you?"

"I'm staying here," he said firmly.

Stan nodded understandingly.

"Has she said whether she's going to keep the baby?"

"No, and I haven't asked. I think a par to fher is waiting to see if the baby makes it."

Again, he nodded.

"I'll see you in the morning. Take care of my inspector, Marshall."

"Yes, sir."

Marshall left him at the elevators and hurried back to Mary's room, speaking to the doctor for several minutes about both her and the baby's conditions. She was still sound asleep when he returned. Her hand lay waiting for his, palm up. He placed his hand in hers and rested his head on the edge of the bed oddly content as he fell asleep.

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Thank you for reading! To be continued...


	4. Mary II

Author's note: Hi all! First of thank you to those of you who followed/faved/and especially reviewed the first 3 chapters! It means a ton. 3 Also sorry this chapter took a bit longer than I anticipated. It started out slightly differently.

Summary: This is from Mary's point of view and focuses on her decisions about the baby's future and Mark's role in that future... I won't say anymore.

Rating: T - mild swearing I think that's it

Disclaimer: I own nothing - no characters no nothing. All rights to the proper people.

Reviews are always lovely ! Enjoy!

* * *

She woke from a nap and smiled at Marshall's sleeping figure. Reflexively, she began to stroke his hair, which was uncharacteristically messy; the product he'd put in the day of the wedding had long since worn off. He stirred under her touch.

"Marshall?" she whispered.

"Right here, Mare," He said lifting his head, making sure to keep in range of her hand. "Need something?"

Mary felt his gaze probing far an answer when she didn't immediately respond. She chewed on her lip not wanting to voice her fears aloud. Unsurprisingly, Marshall knew what she wanted.

"The baby's fine," He said softly and Mary couldn't believe the sense of release she felt. The nurses hadn't been able to tell her anything. "She's going to live a perfectly normal and healthy life."

"Thank God," she bit her lip again. "I guess it's time for me to start making decisions for this kid."

He squeezed her hand sympathetically.

"Do you want to see her?"

She hesitated, unsure of what she wanted. Finally she nodded.

"Okay, I'll talk to the doctors. I'll be right back."

He kissed her forehead briefly, before leaving to find the doctor. Mary watched him walk away, feeling guilty about asking him to kiss her the previous night. He was with Abigail, she'd had no right to do that, even though she desperately wanted him to kiss her again. But for the moment she pushed those thoughts aside. Only one thing had her attention, her daughter. And she knew in her heart that she couldn't give her up.

Marshall returned a few minutes later, wheelchair in tow.

"I'll take you now."

She started to get up and winced and groaned.

"Easy there."

His hands moved surely as he helped her into the wheelchair; his touch soothed her.

They were halfway to the NICU when her guilt got the best of her.

"Marshall…"

"Yeah, Mare?"

She considered bringing up the kiss, but chickened out, opting for an easier route.

"You can go home you know. Abigail must be missing you." There was silence, and Mary wished she could see his face. "Marshall"

"Abigail and I broke up."

"Oh." Mary couldn't find the right words. "I'm sorry," she lied.

"I'm not," he whispered. "I couldn't give her my heart. It's already taken."

Her own heart skipped a beat, did that mean he still loved her? Hope swelled, and she was smiling when they reached the NICU.

Marshall helped her up so she could look in, firmly wrapping his arm around her waist.

"There she is." He pointed to the baby girl right in front of them.

Mary would have known her anywhere. The green eyes were a dead giveaway. Mary stared at her daughter while her daughter stared back at her.

"She's beautiful," she breathed.

"Just like her mother."

Marshall kissed the top of her head, and Mary couldn't logically account for the warm feeling in the pit of her stomach. They stayed there for what felt like the blink of an eye, but was probably closer to twenty minutes before a nurse came to feed the baby and she was taken from the room. Mary was saddened but her body was relieved, she had been leaning more and more heavily on Marshall.

"Come on," Marshall murmured, "Let's get you back to you room. Stan'll be here soon."

"Can you send Mark in first?"

"Sure," Marshall agreed after a moment.

"Thank you."

He lifted her easily from the wheelchair and placed her on the bed. She caught his hand as he turned to leave.

"What do you need?" he asked, his voice strained.

She sat up as best she could and kissed him on the cheek.

"To say thank you."

Marshall's expression was peaceful when she pulled back.

"I like this new form of gratitude."

Mary smirked.

"Don't get too used to it. It's the drugs talking."

"I don't doubt it. I'll be back with Mark."

"Stay close when you come back?"

"Of course."

He kissed her forehead, and Mary relaxed. The action felt routine.

Mark entered her room several minutes later alone, but Mary could make out Marshall's shadow outside.

"How are you feeling, babe?"

"Fine," she lied. "Mark, I need an answer right now. Will you relinquish your rights as a parent?"

He was silent.

"Are you keeping her or are you putting her up for adoption?"

"I'm keeping her," she said firmly. "She's my daughter."

"Our daughter. No, I won't relinquish my parental rights. I want to try to be a part of my daughter's life. I want to try to be a family."

"Try?" she asked scathingly, "So what? If it doesn't work out, you'll just what? Leave? Abandon us?"

He sounded insulted. "I would pay child support. What do you want me to say? It's not like I've had a lot of time to think about this?"

Mary noticed Marshall take a half step toward the door when Mark raised his voice before leaning back against the glass.

"This isn't a car or gym membership. You don't a get a trial period. And let me be perfectly clear. You're not staying with me. I can't stop you from being her father, but I want as little to do with you as possible. You and I aren't family. Family doesn't leave."

His eyes flicked to the door where Marshall stood watch.

"Does _he_ have anything to do with this?"

"No," she half-lied.

"You're a shitty liar, Mary. You always have been."

"This is about my daughter. She deserves a good family."

"What makes you think you can do a better job without me?"

"Because _I'm_ never going to leave her."

"You were considering adoption four days ago."

"I was. Because they could give her a good life. But so can I. I love her. And the only people I will allow in her life are the people who will be there for the long haul."

"Do you really think he's going to help you raise my child?"

"Mark, listen to me. It does not matter who else will be in her life. This is about whether or not you are in it to stay."

"Well if you don't want to be a family, what's the point of me staying?"

"You can be her family. But you aren't going to be mine," she restated finally. "Your choice."

"This ultimatum is crap. How can I be there for her if you don't want me there?"

"I won't deprive my daughter her father."

His nostrils flared.

"Stop acting like you're doing me a favor by letting me stay in her life. Answer me this, do you want me to be a part of her life?"

She considered her words carefully.

"Not if you're going to hurt her or leave her."

"That's answer enough. Guess I can't hurt her if I'm never there. Give me a call if she ever starts asking about her real father. I'll move my things out now, and I'll mail you the papers. So long, Mary. Good luck raising _your_ baby."

Mary sat, stunned as he stormed out the door with a swift glance at Marshall, pausing for a moment to size him up before stalking off the other way.

Poking his head in, Marshall pointed in the direction Mark had gone.

"Do you want me to go after him?"

"Am I being selfish?" She asked, cocking her head quizzically. The conversation had left her rattled.

"For not wanting Mark in her life?"

"What if she asks why her father isn't there? I drove him off."

Marshall shook his head as he sat on the edge of the bed.

"No. You gave him an honest choice."

"I drove him away. What if I drive away everyone else? What if I try so hard to protect her from anyone hurting her that I deprive her of love the way… the way I've deprived myself," she finished after a moment.

Marshall looked shocked by the comment.

"Mare," he grabbed her hands firmly. "Look at me. Mary, you could never do that. Ever."

"How do you know?"

"Because you gave Mark the choice even though you didn't want to. He took the easy out and blamed it on you. It's a coward's move."

"But that other family will probably do a much better job raising her. It's not like I've had stellar parenting role models."

"That doesn't mean you won't be an amazing mother. You practically raised Brandi."

She shot him a helpless look.

"And look at how she turned out."

"A lot better than she would have if you weren't in her life. You gave her and Jinx the chance to get their acts together, and they're finally doing it. If you can undo so much of their hurt… you could never cause it for your daughter. Mary, you have people who love you. I hope you know that," he murmured, brows furrowing.

"And all I ever do is push them away because I know best. And being alone is better than getting hurt."

"You held on to me. I promised I would never leave you, and I almost broke that promise." Mary flinched at the reminder of one of the worst days of her life for so many reasons. "But you held on to me that day. And every day since I've held onto you. I'm never letting go. And you'll never stop being there for your daughter."

"What if I just can't be a mom?"

"You are Mary Shannon. Tough as nails. You can do whatever you want to." He cupped her cheek as he continued. "I am always here for you for whatever you need – friend, partner, babysitter… And I will always be here for your daughter for whatever she needs. I told you. If you're having a baby _, we're_ having a baby."

Marshall's unwavering belief in her gave her enough confidence to think that maybe things could work out for the best. Maybe she could give her daughter a better life. She could feel the smile stretch across her face as she held his palm to her cheek.

"I guess it's a good thing I have a high tolerance for dork."

Marshall snorted.

"You don't have a high tolerance for anything."

"You're right. Well, wise ass. If I am going to be keeping my daughter, I think 'my daughter' is a bit cumbersome. So help me pick out a middle name for our baby?"

Mary hoped she wasn't imagining the sparkle in his eye when she said 'our baby'.

"Do you already have a first name picked out?"

"Alexis. We'll call her Lexi."

Marshall nodded appreciatively and was thoughtful for several moments.

"How about Michelle?"

"Alexis Michelle? Lexi Michelle?" she tried, smiling, "I like it."

He beamed and Mary felt like another piece fell into place. Looking him up and down, she recalled a moment a few years before as she took in his disheveled hair.

"What?" he asked, noting her mischievous look.

"Your hair hasn't been this messy since Treena's bachelorette party."

She couldn't read the response in his eyes. Her attempt to ask was interrupted by Stan's arrival.

* * *

Author's note: Thank you for reading!


	5. Marshall III

Author's note: Hi Dear Readers! Thank you so much for all the reviews. You rock!

Sorry I'm a little late this week - I'm trying to figure out a good schedule that I can keep to for writing this. You will probably see updates late on Friday nights/early Saturday mornings from now on. Just FYI.

Anyways...

Summary: Picks up with Stan's arrival and features a few peeks into Marshall's thought process.

Rating: T for language.

Disclaimer: Still own nothing - but I'm trying to be nicer than the writers were.

Enjoy!

* * *

"Knock knock," Stan smiled from the doorway.

Marshall moved from his perch on the bed to the chair, holding Mary's hand.

"Hey, Stan."

"How are you feeling?"

"Peachy keen," she deadpanned.

"It's good to see you have you usual sunny demeanor."

"It's the drugs," Marshall informed him. Mary smacked him with her free hand. "That's more like it."

Stan fidgeted as he neared the bed.

"Stan, you look like a new witness. Spit out the damn question."

"Oh it's nothing. I was just wondering about the baby."

Marshall smiled as he watched the joy dance across Mary's expression.

"Stable. And her name is Alexis Michele Shannon. Lexi for short."

He recognized the look of shock on Stan's face.

"So you're…"

"Keeping her? Yes. Maybe you can come with us in a little bit to see her?"

Mary's gaze flickered in Marshall's directions and he guessed her request.

"I'll go talk to the doctors about a field trip."

"Thank you."

He barely hesitated before pressing a kiss to Mary's knuckles on his way out. The hall outside of her room was quiet, so he headed for the nurse's station.

"Excuse me, Danielle." He was on a first name basis with all the nurses who had cared for Mary.

"Yes, Marshall, what can I do for you?"

"Mary would like to visit the NICU again."

The older woman smiled understandingly.

"Of course. I'll get you a wheelchair."

"Thank you very much."

She quickly finished typing the line she was working on and stood up, acquiring a wheelchair from the side of the wall.

"You and Mary are going to make such great parents," she offered conversationally as they walked back down the hallway.

Marshall stammered, "Oh we're not… I mean I'm not… I mean."

"You're nervous, I get it. I've seen a lot of first time fathers in my years. But, you're one of the most prepared. And you and Mary are so in love. That's one of the most important things for a baby. "

Marshall huffed out something like an agreement, unsure what to say.

"I heard someone wanted to see their baby," Danielle grinned as she wheeled the chair in ahead of Marshall.

"Very much so."

Danielle dealt with the wires and tubes attached to Mary while Marshall helped her into the chair.

"I assume you know the way, Marshall?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Then just press the call button when you're back. And don't keep my patient out of bed too long."

"Of course not."

Marshall wheeled Mary to the NICU, Stan keeping pace beside him as Mary demanded to be entertained. More than once, he noticed his boss's speculative gaze. However, his attention was completely diverted when he first laid eyes on Alexis.

"Hi there, Alexis. I'm your Uncle Stan," he cooed.

Mary smirked amusedly at Marshall as he helped her out of the chair, pulling her tight to his side to help support her weight. Marshall grinned conspiratorially as their normally stoic boss gushed over the baby.

"Now if you're anything like your mom, you're going to be a real handful. But you're also going to be so strong. And I'm here to help when your mom and Marshall drive you too crazy with their bickering."

Marshall could not help noticing – or maybe he was hearing what he wanted - Stan had made it sound an awful lot like he and Mary would be raising Alexis together. It made sense. Mary was his partner and his best friend. Of course he would be there to help. Especially since Mark had chosen the easy way out. But he failed to stop his imagination from taking it a step further – a life where he was more than just best friends with Mary and where he really was helping raise Alexis as her father. He knew that no matter what happened he would love her like his own daughter, but whether or not Mary saw him in that light remained to be seen.

Marshall was so wrapped in his own thoughts that he didn't notice Alexis was being taken for a feeding, until Mary nudged him in the ribs.

"Hey doofus, say good night to Lexi."

"Oh right. Good night, Lexi," he whispered to the baby who was staring at him intently. "I'll see you tomorrow, sweetheart. I love you."

She smiled up at him as she was taken away. He re-acclimated himself to reality and found Stan observing him with that speculative look again. Mary was sagging into him, but she had pulled her head away to look at him quizzically.

"We should get you back to your room," he stated before she could question him.

He swiftly moved Mary back into the wheelchair, eager to be able to hide his emotions from her green gaze.

The three marshals were quiet as they returned to the room, each lost in their own thoughts. Once Mary was settled, Stan decided it was time to head out.

"I'll swing by after work tomorrow. Get some rest, Mary."

"Yes, sir," she saluted with a smirk.

Rolling his eyes, he turned to Marshall.

"I'll see you tomorrow, at the office?" He asked, unsure. Marshall had emailed him in the middle of the night when he realized he had said he would come in, but wasn't ready to leave Mary.

"I was actually thinking about cashing in on some vacation time."

Stan nodded, "I'll fill out the paperwork."

"Uh uh," Mary argued, "No way, Marshall. You're not taking vacation time to sit in the hospital with me. Besides you can't leave Stan all alone with Delia."

Marshall began to argue, but she glared.

"No. You're going back to work, doofus. You'll see him tomorrow, Stan."

"I guess you'll see me tomorrow."

"Get some rest, you two," Stan chuckled.

"Good night, Stan."

"Thank you for coming."

"Of course."

He waved over his shoulder on the way out, shaking his head good-naturedly. Mary fixed Marshall with a measured stare once Stan was out of sight.

"What?" he asked. "I have plenty of vacation time," he continued, knowing she was going to harass him about it.

"I know that."

"So why shouldn't I take it?"

If Marshall did not know better he would have sworn Mary was smiling at him sheepishly.

"Well, I kind of thought you would take it when I was actually at home with Lexi."

"Oh," Marshall was floored. "I suppose that would be more helpful."

"I want her to have plenty of time to get used to you when we take her home."

Marshall's only response was to beam.

"I never thought you'd be excited to be stuck with a screaming baby," she snarked.

"It'll be the same as when you take care of the new witnesses," he shot back, suspecting she was trying to lighten the mood.

"Ass. I've never made a new witness cry."

"And I can't name all fifty state capitals in reverse alphabetical order."

"Why would you admit that?" She paused, smile dimming. "I guess you should probably head home and get some sleep."

"I'm not leaving you, Mare."

"Marshall, you haven't left since I got here. There's no way you're comfortable sleeping in that chair. Go home and get some rest."

Marshall didn't respond. There was a small part of him that did not want to return to the home he had shared with Abigail. Despite their amicable split, he was not fully ready to face reality outside of the hospital. The bigger part of him that did not want to leave was scared that this strange, wonderful shift in his and Mary's relationship would go right back to normal if he left. Danielle's comments had left him rattled. But looking in on Lexi with Mary by his side, he could understand the nurse's conclusion.

"Hello. Earth to, Marshall." Mary's snapping fingers brought him out of his reverie. "Where do you keep going? That's the second time you've spaced out tonight. You're a rambler for sure, but space cadet? Not so much."

"Just thinking about everything that's happened in the past few days."

Mary looked sad to hear that.

"Right. Getting shot at. My sister skipping out on her own wedding. Me giving birth. You and Abigail breaking up…" she trailed off.

"To name a few."

"So you're," she waved her hands, "Processing everything okay?"

"Working on it," he answered honestly.

"I'm sorry about you and Nancy Drew. Are you doing okay with it?"

"Yeah. I am. It's for the best. It was sudden. But not totally unexpected if I'm honest."

Marshall could feel her measuring his response, so he held her stare, making sure she knew he meant every word.

"Was it ugly?" She asked after a moment.

A wave of guilt made him grimace.

"No. Abby was very gracious about the whole thing. She deserves a much better than me."

Mary grabbed his hand.

"Marshall, you're the best man I know. She was lucky to have you."

"Thanks, Mare. But Abigail deserves to be with someone who is in love with her."

Marshall watched as Mary attempted to hold back a question.

"Just ask me," he prompted softly.

"It just seemed like you guys loved each other. Not that I would know much about that."

"I did love Abigail. She is wonderful. But I wasn't in love with her. And I knew I never would be. And that was never fair to her."

She was quiet for a few moments.

"You'll find someone someday."

"I'm sure I will," Marshall agreed.

"Until then I guess you're stuck with me and Lexi," she teased.

Marshall liked the sound of that.

"Horror of horrors. How will I ever survive?"

Mary winced as she laughed.

"You need pain meds," he stated, concerned. "I'll call the nurse."

Before she could protest, he had pressed the call button and a nurse hurried in. Marshall remained in his seat as she bustled around, checking Mary's bandages and IV's before administering the pain medication. She told them Mary would have a few tests in the morning and would then most likely be moved to a recovery room. Marshall thanked her as Mary yawned.

"Have a good night."

The medicine had already started kicking in, because Mary's eyes were already drooping shut.

"Good night, Marshall," she mumbled.

"Good night, Mare," he whispered.

Once he was sure she was asleep, he pressed a kiss to her palm and whispered, "I love you, Mary."

* * *

Author's note: Thanks for reading! Reviews are always welcome. See you next week with the next chapter. :)


	6. Mary III

Author's note:

Hi Dear Readers! Happy weekend! Thank you for your continued views and reviews.

Here is this week's chapter! It's a little bit shorter than the last two but I actually hadn't planned on this conversation. It just sort of happened when I started writing.

No Marshall in this chapter (Sorry! - he'll be back soon :) )

This is just a brief interaction between Mary and Jinx. I liked the Jinx was on a redemption arc in the show so I'd like that reflected here. Anyways this is also a little bit of an insight into Mary's head space.

Rating: T for language - nothing too bad.

Disclaimers: I own nothing. If I did I wouldn't have to fix it now.

Enjoy!

* * *

Mary was disappointed when she woke up and saw that Marshall wasn't in his usual spot. She knew that she had made him go to work, but she still wasn't happy about it.

"Honey, how are you feeling?"

Mary jumped a little a Jinx's voice, having failed to notice her.

"I'm feeling better."

Her eyes scanned the room reflexively.

"Marshall left this for you," Jinx informed her, handing over a piece of paper that had been folded in half.

She unfolded the sheet and quickly read the note.

 _Mary,_

 _On your orders, I am returning to work today. Try not to terrorize the doctors and nurses too much. Please. I'll be back to see my two favorite girls after work._

 _Marshall_

There was nothing overly mushy about it, but Mary couldn't help but smile at his parting line. There was something comforting about feeling like she was his. After reading it several more times, she remembered Jinx was there and looked up to meet her mother's intrigued stare.

"What?" she asked, her tone a shade sharp.

"Nothing. Marshall had to go back to work?"

"I made him. I want him to be able to take time off when I take Alexis home."

It was only after she said her name that Mary realized she hadn't officially told Jinx that she was keeping the baby.

"Mark told us you were keeping her," Jinx offered when Mary started to flounder. "He didn't tell us you had named her. He was a bit agitated when he came to move his things out."

"We didn't leave things on the best terms. I needed stability, and Mark couldn't offer that. I gave him the choice. I made it clear I would not stop him from being in Alexis' life but, I wasn't looking to play house with him. What?" she asked when she saw Jinx's concerned face.

"That's not exactly how he described it."

"What did the weasel say?"

"Nothing important. Something about Marshall. I'm sure he was just upset."

Mary ground her teeth in annoyance.

"He was convinced I didn't want him around because of Marshall. Completely ignoring the fact that he wasn't willing to commit to his daughter."

"So he's relinquishing his rights?"

"Yes. By his own choice."

"I am very proud of you, Mary. You are going to be a great mother. Much better than I ever was."

A wave of insecurity washed over her.

"I don't have a clue what I'm doing."

"No one ever does, sweetie. But you aren't alone. We're all here to help you and Alexis?"

Mary smiled and nodded.

"Alexis Michelle Shannon. Lexi for short."

"What a beautiful name. How did you choose?"

"I've always loved the name Alexis. And Marshall chose Michelle."

Jinx seemed surprised but didn't question it.

"An excellent choice."

There was a moment of silence as they both tried to make sense of their thoughts.

"How's Squish? Is she still around?"

"Yes, she's at home, trying to pull together the nursery."

Mary was surprised, and a tad emotional. Stupid hormones.

"She doesn't have to do that."

"We want to. We don't want you to have to worry about anything when you come home."

"Has she talked to Peter?"

"Once," Jinx explained. "To apologize and explain herself. She offered to help with the fall out, but he felt it was best she stayed away. His family wasn't pleased."

"Why did she run?"

"She really loves him. She thinks he might be the one."

"Then why the hell would she run the other way. She had a great guy and a great life sitting there waiting for her."

"That scared her. I never gave you girls a good example of love. Or stability. Brandi is scared of good things, because they've never lasted for her. I always managed to screw them up. And despite your attempts to raise your little sister, she's always been a little too much like me. She didn't want to lose Peter because she screwed it up down the line, so she decided not to take the chance."

"Damnit, Squish," Mary muttered.

Mary was sad for her sister. But she also felt an unexpected kinship with her. Where Brandi had chosen chaos Mary had chosen order. She "didn't like messy" as Marshall had once pointed out days before she ran away to the beach with Faber. Faber was easy. He meant nothing. They went on vacation. Did their thing. Then went their separate ways. Mary had always known it wouldn't last. No risk. Even with Raph. Mary had never intended for it to get to the engagement stage. She had assumed he would get picked up by a team and be travelling or relocated permanently. His injuries had derailed her plans for a natural relationship death.

Things were different now though. She had Alexis, and she already knew that she could never run from her. And maybe if she could accept that piece of goodness in her life she could accept more.

Jinx's phone beeping pulled her from her thoughts.

"That's Brandi now. She wants to go look at paint colors."

"No pink," Mary stated firmly.

"I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you for doing this. At least now I won't have to listen to Marshall's lesson on the history of baby colors."

"He has such a wide amount of knowledge."

"He has too much time on his hands," Mary laughed fondly.

"I should go. I want to pick up my granddaughter some outfits while we're out."

"No…"

"Pink. I know. Get some rest, sweetheart. I'll come by and sit with you tomorrow afternoon before my class."

"I'll see you tomorrow."

"I'm so proud of you," she repeated. "So very proud."

Mary gave her a small wave before opening Marshall's note again, contemplating how good messy might be.

* * *

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are lovely.

See you next week!


	7. Marshall IV

Author's note: Hello my lovely readers! I'm so so sorry I didn't get to post a chapter last week. Life got completely crazed. So here is one chapter. I owe you a double update sometime soon, but I'm not sure it will happen this week but I'm going to try! Anyways, I hope you enjoy this. Pain killers and hormones are great for making Mary chatty.

Rating: T to be safe for mildish swearing

Disclaimer: I own nothing. :( Still sad about it.

Enjoy!

* * *

Marshall was fading fast, and it was barely three o'clock.

"Go home, Marshall. Get some sleep," Stan ordered as he came out of his office.

Shooting straight up, he shook his head. "No, no. I'm good. I was just resting my eyes."

"Mhmm. If you won't go home, at least go back to the hospital and spend some time with Mary."

"Mary wants me here."

"Then at least go drink a cup of coffee," Stan finally gave up.

Three cups later, Marshall had managed to make it to four thirty, and since he had conveniently not gone to lunch he took off. Stan shook his head indulgently as he watched him fly out the door.

"Tell Mary I have a conference at 8 with the other chiefs so I'll come see her tomorrow!" Stan yelled after him.

There was a muffled, "Got it" from behind the gate.

Once he was in his car on his way to Mary he felt much less rushed. He drove quickly but not recklessly towards the hospital.

For a moment when he reached her room in the ICU and found it empty, he panicked – until he remembered that Mary was supposed to be moved to a private room. As soon as he reached the nurse's desk, he was handed a slip of paper with her new room number on it.

"She's been in tests all day, so I know she didn't get a chance to call you."

"Thank you. What's the fastest way there?"

"Back the way you came. Take the elevator down to the seventh floor. Then take a right through the double doors and she'll be in a room on the left."

"Great. I appreciate all your help."

"My pleasure. It's been lovely getting to know you and Mary."

Marshall offered a grateful smile before hurrying towards the elevators. He paused outside the room when he noticed a nurse was still attending her. Settling into the chair next to the door, he couldn't stop himself from eavesdropping just a little bit.

"It's a shame your husband had to go back to work so soon. The fact that there are no paternity leave laws in this state is disgraceful."

"Well we both work at the same place so it's hard when we're both out of office. But he's saving up his vacation weeks for when I finally get home so we can get Lexi settled," Mary explained happily.

"That will be lovely. She's growing at a good rate. Hopefully you'll be able to take her home a few days after you're released."

"How long do premature babies usually stay in the NICU?" He heard her ask tentatively.

"For a baby like Lexi, about two weeks. Like I said, she's gaining weight at a healthy rate. Now, how did you and Marshall meet?"

"We worked together about 8 years ago on a one off operation. And it didn't go well. We got the job done but we were so different. And a couple of months later we were assigned to the same office."

"And you slowly grew to like each other?" she guessed.

Marshall held in his snort.

"No, we pretty much clashed about everything from day one with no sign of us ever getting along. But then I almost lost him." Marshall reflexively reached for the scar from that day. "He made me a promise that day that he wouldn't leave me…" She was quiet for a moment. "And after that it was a slow battle for me to believe he'd keep the promise. But after a while I let myself lean on him. And he's been there for me ever since. He kept his promise. I don't think he realizes how much he means to me sometimes."

"So how long have you been a couple?"

Marshall was waiting for the derisive laughter but it never came.

"We aren't. Technically. We've both been with other people until recently. It was never serious for me. Lexi came from a one night stand with my ex. Best worst mistake I could make. But Marshall was serious about someone. I think I ruined his chance."

"I'm sure you didn't. It sounds like he doesn't give up on things he wants or cares about."

"He doesn't."

"So maybe you're just the thing he cares about the most."

"Maybe. One can only hope."

Marshall could have sworn she sounded wistful, and he suddenly felt guilty for eavesdropping. He took a quick walk down the hallways and then made his presence known.

"Well, well, well. Look at you being a model patient," he teased, as the nurse drew Mary's blood without complaint from the marshal.

"I follow orders. Sometimes."

"If by sometimes you mean never. Sure."

He crossed the room in a few quick strides, kissing her forehead and taking a seat on her unoccupied side.

"Hi, I'm Marshall Mann," he introduced himself.

"Elizabeth. Nice to meet you."

"I heard you were in tests most of the day?" He directed the question towards Mary but he was unsurprised when Elizabeth answered it.

"Yes, just routine monitoring after an emergency C-section. We should have the results late tonight or early tomorrow. Well that's the last vial we need. I'll leave you to get some rest."

"Good night, Elizabeth."

"Thank you. It was nice to meet you."

"I'll be back tomorrow afternoon."

She gathered up the vials of blood and left the room, and Mary smiled at Marshall.

"How was work?"

"It was fine. Lots of paperwork. I had type up an account of the shootout for both of us, since somebody got laid up in the hospital."

"Boo hoo," she snarked. "Any new witnesses?"

"No. Just the standard visits in the morning. It was a pretty quiet day. I might even so far as to say it was pleasant. No one made fun of my knowledge of minutia. I didn't get any wads of paper thrown at me."

"Sounds boring. You must have missed me."

"I hardly noticed you were gone." He grinned at her cheekily.

"Yeah, right."

"Of course I missed you."

"Where's Stan?" She asked looking at her hands.

"He had a conference call at 8. He said he would come by tomorrow."

"Okay."

"So what did you do today?" He asked, moving to sit on the bed so he could face her.

"Jinx was here in the morning. And then I got shuffled around from test to test. X-ray, MRI, cat scan, ultrasound, lots of vials of fluids. I had just been settled in my room for about half an hour when you got here."

Marshall tried to keep his concern out of his expression, but apparently he didn't succeed.

"What is it? What's wrong? Do you know something I don't know?"

Marshall shook his head honestly. "No. I don't know what's standard for emergency C-section check ups. I'm sure it is just routine."

"What if it's not? What if there's something wrong with me?"

"Then we'll handle it. I'm sure it's nothing serious."

"I finally have someone other than you to live for," she mumbled, and Marshall barely held back the wave emotion that overcame him.

"Do you want me to stay with you in the morning so I can be here when the doctor comes in?"

"I'm a big girl. I can handle it by myself."

"I know," he chuckled, before continuing in a more serious tone. "But that doesn't mean you have to."

"I guess they normally do rounds at 8 so you wouldn't be that late for work if you waited. I guess you can stay," she relented.

"Always so gracious." He pressed a kiss to her palm. "You're going to be perfectly fine. You are going to live a long happy life with Lexi and be the embarrassing soccer mom we all know you're dying to be. You should probably start looking in to trading your Probe for a minivan. "

"Oh please," she snorted. "No way. Over my dead body. Besides, if anyone is driving a minivan it's you, embarrassing soccer dad."

Marshall couldn't figure out if she was really planning on making a family with him, or if it was just her natural reflex. Both options were appealing to Marshall.

* * *

Author's note: Well there it is. Some sweetness between Mary and Marshall. Set up for the possibility of a little angst. But no worries I promise this is a fluff story at the end of the day. :D Reviews are lovely!


	8. Marshall V

Author's note: Happy Labor Day Weekend for all my American readers. Thank you all for continuing to read this story. Just so you know, I'm starting a new job this week, so there might be a brief hiatus or late posting schedule while I figure out what life's going to be like. But I will be back!

Summary: Picks up the morning after the last chapter after Mary and Marshall have spoken to the doctor. Warning! Angst ahead, and this chapter is left sorta unresolved because it's short, but the ending felt natural. But I promise long term this story is going to have a happy fluffy ending so don't get too upset.

Rating: T (mild swearing)

Warnings: Vague discussion of cancer

Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter, and I promise it'll get fluffy again soon!

* * *

"Marshall." Mary spoke his name as a plea. "Please tell me it's not true."

"Mare, it's going to be okay. It could be nothing."

"They found a lump, Marshall, a lump!"

He could see that she was on the verge of hysterics.

"These are often benign. The doctor said it could be a cyst, they just didn't have time to focus on it when they were getting Lexi out and you were too weak for them to keep you open any longer."

"But it might not be. It could be cancer."

Marshall knew that panicking wouldn't do any good, so he worked on his calm exterior. Inside though, he was just as terrified as she was. It felt like the night she got shot all over again.

"It could be," he admitted, feeling like he was choking on the words. "But, the doctor also said, even if it is, they should be able to remove it when they do the surgery."

"Should be. But what if they can't?"

"Mare, listen to me, a tumor isn't a death sentence. If they can't remove it, there are still lots of options."

She made a face, clearly disagreeing.

"We will handle whatever comes, together. I promise you're going to see Lexi grow up." He held both of her hands between his. "Mary Shannon, you are the strongest woman I know. A little lump is not going to beat you. And your family is going to be right here with you through everything. I am going to be right here with you."

The nurse came in a short time later to check Mary's vitals. Marshall stepped outside to call Stan.

"Stan McQueen," he answered tersely.

"Stan, it's me."

"Marshall, what the hell happened? I thought you weren't taking off until Mary got home."

"Stan, there's been a complication."

"I'm on my way."

"No, no. It's… don't. I…"

"Inspector, what happened?"

Using his title snapped Marshall into report mode.

"Give me a second," he smiled and waved at Brandi and Jinx who had just walked in. Moving down the hall, well out of earshot, he began speaking again. "The doctor informed us this morning that when he did the C-section he thought he noticed a lump, but Lexi was the main concern and Mary was too weak for them to check into it further. Yesterday, now that she was pretty well recovered, he sent her for extensive testing. They revealed a lump, but they don't know if it's malignant of benign."

"So what's the plan?"

"She's going to have surgery on Friday. We'll know more after that."

"How's she holding up?"

"She's terrified."

"How are you doing?"

"I'm focusing on the fact that there is a very good chance that it's nothing. But honestly, Stan, I'm so scared right now."

"Do you want me to come down there?" He offered.

"No, not right now. Jinx and Brandi just showed up and I'm not even sure she's going to tell them."

"Copy that. I'll come by after work then."

"Thanks, Stan."

"You should get back to her. Oh and, Marshall…"

"Yeah, Stan?"

"If I see you in this office for the rest of the week I'm going to kick your ass. Understood?"

Marshall barked out a laugh, "Yes, sir."

"She'll be okay, son."

"I'll see you later, Stan."

He wanted to believe him. He wanted to believe the promise he had made Mary, but the logical side of him had to look at the facts and the statistics. Yes, there was a good chance it was nothing. But there was still a chance life was going to steal her from him.

* * *

Author's note: Thanks for reading! There will probably be 1 or 2 more chapters dealing with this plot point and then back to the two bozos falling/being in love and "not" admitting it. Reviews are lovely, but be kind please.


	9. Mary IV

Author's note: Hi all! Happy weekend everybody! I haven't forgotten that I owe you a double post, but this week has been crazed so it's just one for right now.

Summary: Mary's POV - overlapping with Marshall's phone call from the last chapter in the beginning and then moving on. A little bit of angst if you can call it that. And some fluff for good measure. The lump scare should be resolved in the next chapter so bear with m, it'll be over soon.

Rating: T (maybe. to be safe)

Enjoy!

* * *

She had not been prepared for anything that happened that morning.

She had not been prepared to dream of holding hands with Marshall in the stands at a soccer game cheering for Lexi or stopping for ice cream in their minivan.

She had not been prepared to wake up with her head on Marshall's shoulder. He had climbed into bed with her to comfort her.

She had not been prepared for news of "the lump".

And she was most definitely not prepared to see her mother and sister not even an hour after that. Marshall had picked the worst time to have an extended chat with Stan.

The moment she saw Jinx and Brandi, she decided not to tell them. At least not until they knew what was going on. It was easier if she didn't have to take care of them to. But the news had left her rattled, and she claimed the hormones killed her poker face.

"Are you alright, sweetie?" Jinx asked, concerned.

"Do you need a nurse?" Brandi offered, looking at the machinery for a call button.

"No, I'm fine," she lied, focusing on schooling her expression. "Just a little stir crazy. You know I don't like hospitals."

They accepted her answer and returned to chattering about the nursery. Before Mary could slip up and tell them, Marshall returned. She had never been so relieved.

"And what are we discussing today, ladies?" he asked in a cheerful tone.

Mary watched him carefully, wondering if he was as carefree as he was trying to sound. Noting the way his hand rested on his belt where his gun normally was she guessed no, but gratefully played along.

"Colors for the nursery. Care to weigh in, Da Vinci?"

"Well considering the overuse of blue to signify a male child, at least in recent history. And your undeniable hatred of all things pink, apart from the probe," he smirked.

Annoyed, she huffed, "The Probe is purple, doofus."

"Tomato, tomahto," he shrugged, "Regardless perhaps we should go with something a little less bogged down in gender stereotypes. I would be partial to a pale green with some yellow and purple accents. As for furniture, I was thinking…"

Mary tried to picture it, as Marshall continued to describe his design for the nursery. She smiled, for once able to perfectly envision what he was talking about. The room sounded perfect, especially the addition of a wicker rocking chair in the corner.

She looked over at Jinx and Brandi who looked impressed and excited.

"Those are great ideas, Marshall!" Jinx beamed.

"Mom, we should start shopping for furniture and paint, now that we have the baby clothes all sorted."

"Wait a second," Mary cut in, concerned by the gleam in Brandi's eye. "Please tell me there is nothing pink, ruffled, or with a skirt."

"Oh lighten up, Mary," Brandi admonished. "Just because you hate pink doesn't mean Lexi will."

"No ruffles," she grumbled.

Marshall chuckled.

"I'm glad you're so amused over there. You do realize that if I don't like the clothes they bought, you're the one who has to go shopping."

Mary laughed at the image of Marshall in the baby department shopping for Lexi. She had a fair bit of ammo from dealing with their witness a few weeks before.

"I think I can manage that."

She thought for a moment, he looked excited at the prospect. She was distracted from following that train of thought by her newest visitor.

"Knock, knock."

Mary looked up in time to see Peter at the door, a mix of longing, anger, and regret in his eyes as he caught sight of Brandi.

"I can just come back later," he mumbled, starting to back out the door at the same time Brandi shot to her feet.

"Mom and I were just going."

"No, no, come on. Squish, I thought you two were going to stay for lunch?" Mary reminded her, attempting to sound casual.

From the look Marshall gave her, she didn't succeed.

"I know, but Marshall gave us such great ideas. I want to get the stores and start setting up the nursery. I mean you and Lexi should be home in a few days right? I'll see you later," she had continued to talk herself all the way out the door, ignoring Mary's protests.

Jinx followed with a saddened smile, "I'll see you later, sweetheart. Marshall, Peter, it was good to see you."

Annoyed that Brandi had squirmed her way out, Mary offered Peter a wry smile.

"How are you doing, Peter?"

"I'm doing fine. How are you? How's the baby?"

"I'm fine. And Alexis Michelle Shannon is doing extremely well."

Peter smiled genuinely at the joy in Mary's voice.

"That's great. I'm very happy for you." Seemingly realizing he was still holding the flower arrangement, offered it in Mary's general direction. "This is for you."

"It's beautiful. Thank you. Your florist does nice work."

"I'm sure he'll appreciate the compliment."

"So how are you really doing?" Mary asked, trying to be tactful.

"Still sober, if that's what you mean," he informed her with a humorless laugh.

"That's great. But not actually what I was curious about," she lied.

"Things are calming down. Guests have received explanations. Vendors have received their fees. Everyone is coping."

"Sorry, I kind of went into labor under your Chuppah."

Marshall smiled at her correct pronunciation.

"Frankly, that was not the suckiest part of that day. So no worries."

"Is there anything we can do?" She offered, gesturing between Marshall and herself.

Marshall who had been keeping to the background stepped forward, taking a place beside Mary.

"Anything at all?" he echoed.

"All I need now is an explanation. But since Brandi doesn't seem keen to speak with me…"

"Squish knows she screwed up," Mary offered in a half-hearted defense.

"I know. I think she knew she couldn't commit long before she left. So in lieu of answers, I think now, I just need to heal. And move on."

"I hope you won't move on from all of us," Mary remarked genuinely. "I would like you to be a part of Lexi's life."

He smiled at the gesture. "I'd like that. Well, I should get back to the dealership. I'm glad you're doing well, Mary. And I'm glad you're keeping your daughter."

"I'm glad you're doing alright. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call."

"I'm good, thank you though."

He shook Marshall's hand firmly, "Best of luck to both of you."

Marshall smiled gratefully.

"You too."

Once Peter left, Mary sighed sadly, "I hope he and Squish can work things out."

"If they're meant to be, they will. I for one think they will," Marshall assured her sagely.

Knowing she couldn't do anything until she was out of the hospital, Mary tried to stop thinking about it. After a moment, she smiled softly at Marshall.

"You know, it sure sounded like you've put an awful lot of thought into my nursery," she smirked.

"I have," he stated, unashamed. "It's not like I didn't know you were pregnant."

"But what if I gave her up for adoption?"

"Then it was a moot point. But I always knew there was a chance you wouldn't give her up, so I figured it was best to be prepared."

"Did you really know I wouldn't give her up" Mary asked anxiously.

"There was always a chance, but yes, I always thought you would keep her. And I know you'll be an amazing mother. And when I thought about it, I couldn't help but envision you in the spare bedroom. And the room kind of designed itself from there. Did you like what I suggested?"

"I love it. It's going to be perfect. But you do realize you're going to have to pick out paint with my sister."

"Don't worry. I've already got the samples in my desk. I'll give them to Brandi tomorrow."

Mary couldn't help but smile. Somehow, hearing that Marshall had faith in her from the beginning to keep Lexi put her at ease. She had faith that he had faith in her to make the right call. So if he thought she would keep her, it must be a pretty good decision.

"Did you also already order the wicker rocking chair?" Mary asked knowingly.

"No. Of course not," he stated firmly.

But he answered too quickly and Mary started laughing.

"You did didn't you?"

"It's on hold, ready to ship whenever we need it… you need it."

"Think you could order a second one?"

He cocked his head, confused by the request. Mary bit her lip, worried she was giving into a fantasy too much.

"What is it, Mare?"

"I was just thinking. It might be nice for both of us to have someplace to sit," she rushed through the last bit.

He beamed at her.

"You're right. It would be. I'll call them right now."

He moved into the corner to make the call, and Mary found herself daydreaming of rocking Lexi to sleep, sitting side by side and she felt a wide smile settle on her face. Maybe she had a chance for a happy family after all.

* * *

Author's note: I hope you enjoyed it! Reviews are welcome as always, but be kind. See you next week!


	10. Marshall VI

A/N: Happy Saturday! Time for a new chapter! :) Thanks for all the continued love and support for this story.

Summary: Mary goes in for surgery and Marshall is at loose ends. This chapter also serves to deal with some of the less central story lines. I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Rating: T I guess

* * *

Marshall spent so much of Wednesday and Thursday distracting Mary that he wasn't prepared for the wait when she went into surgery. He lasted twenty minutes before he had to leave. He briefly went home, planning to shower and regroup.

He realized that was a mistake when he noticed Abby's car in the driveway with moving boxes sticking out the back. For a second he considered driving past the house without stopping, but then realized he couldn't avoid it forever and squared his shoulders as he walked inside.

"Abigail," he called, pushing open the door.

"In the kitchen."

Oscar came bounding up to him nearly bowling him over.

"Hey, buddy. How you doing?" He chuckled, patting him on the head as he walked towards the kitchen, looking around to see what she had already packed, surprisingly nothing seemed out of place.

"Hi," she said quietly, warming her hands around a mug of tea.

"Hey. Sorry I haven't been around much."

She smiled softly.

"I wasn't expecting you to be. Mary in surgery?"

"How did you…"

"We caught a case involving one of your witnesses. Stan told me. How are you doing?"

Relieved she already knew, he sunk into the seat across from her.

"I'm scared out of my mind, Abby. It may be nothing, but what if it's not?"

"Then you two will deal with it. She can make it through anything. Especially if she has you," she told him, placing a hand on top of his.

"Thank you, Abby. I'm sorry for how things worked out."

"I'm not," she shook her head with a small smile. "I loved our time together. But we both deserve something more."

"You're a remarkable woman, Detective Chaffey."

"Mary's lucky to have you, Marshall. Don't let either of your fears or stubbornness get in the way this time."

"I won't."

The pair had a comfortable silence as Oscar lay his head in Marshall's lap.

"I saw the boxes in your car…" He prompted after a few minutes.

"Yeah. I thought it was best to be prepared. I assume one or both of us will be moving out in the near future."

"True," Marshall agreed as he thought it through. "I guess it makes the most sense if I… umm… oh I don't know."

"Look, Marshall, I'm not asking you to make any decisions right this second. I know that all of your focus is on Mary right now. As it should be. We can discuss it when everything is stable. Just give it some thought if you have the time."

"I will. Thank you," Marshall whispered.

"You're welcome. Now, I suspect you came home to take a shower and distract yourself?"

He nodded somewhat numbly.

"Why don't you go do that? I'll make you a cup of coffee."

* * *

Abigail was gone when he got out of the shower. She left a note saying she'd gotten called in to work, so Marshall packed a duffel with fresh clothes, poured the coffee into a thermos, rinsed out the mug, and climbed back into his truck. Confident the nurses would call him when Mary was in recovery and unwilling to return to the hospital to sit and wait, Marshall did something he never ever thought he would do.

"Hi Brandi, I was wondering if you needed any help shopping for the nursery."

"Sure! We're at the hardware store now trying to pick out paints. Mom and I could use a referee."

"I'll be there in ten. Don't buy anything without me."

"We won't."

"See you soon."

He drove on autopilot as his mind drifted to Mary in surgery. Before he knew it he was parked outside the hardware store. Knowing he couldn't show that there was anything wrong, he took a moment to breathe and control his expression.

Inside the store he found them arguing in the paint section.

"No, mom, we should go with this green. That one is too bright. It will be too stimulating."

"We're not going with the one you picked out, it looks like puke."

Taking comfort in their antics for once, Marshall chuckled as he approached them.

"Good morning, ladies."

"Marshall, will you please tell my darling daughter that this paint looks like puke," Jinx begged, holding up a paint sample.

Marshall spent the next fifteen minutes trying to get a word in edgewise as they argued but only two minutes convincing them of his choice. After the paint they went next door and picked out the light fixtures and the furniture. By noon all of the decisions had been made but there were still a few hours before Mary would be in recovery, so Marshall suggested they all go out to lunch.

"So, Marshall, what's brought on this sudden urge to spend time with us?" Brandi asked bluntly at the table.

"I wanted to help with the nursery. I know you're both working very hard to do this for Mary and I wanted to do my part."

"That's very sweet of you, Marshall," Jinx beamed.

Marshall wasn't sure what his expression showed, but it clearly wasn't complacency.

"Mary sent you, didn't she? She doesn't trust us to pick pretty colors," Brandi concluded, misinterpreting Marshall's expression.

"That's not it at all. I promise. She just knew I had a specific vision in my head…"

"And everything worked out," Jinx interjected. "So let's talk about something else."

The rest of the meal was filled with idle chit chat for which Marshall was immensely grateful. He was just signing the receipt when his phone rang. Walking away from the table, Marshall answered quietly.

"Hi Mr. Mann, this is nurse Julie, Mary is in a recovery room. She should be awake soon."

"Thank you. What's the room number?"

"309."

"I'll be there soon."

Quickly bidding Brandi and Jinx goodbye, Marshall headed for the hospital. She was still sedated when he got to the room, so he settled into the chair next to her bed to wait. A few minutes later, the doctor came in and Marshall's heart was in his throat.

"Mr. Shannon?"

"Yes," Marshall answered, not processing what he said.

"I am Dr. Bentos, I performed Mary's surgery. We found two sizable cysts on her ovaries, but we were able to remove them. The cysts were completely benign and there is no sign of cancer or any other illness. Cysts are a common occurrence and are generally not dangerous, but since we were in there already we felt that we should go ahead and remove them."

"So, she's okay?"

"She is perfectly healthy, Mr. Shannon. I will be back to check on her when she wakes up. If you need anything or have any questions just have one of the nurses page me."

"Thank you very much, doctor," he said emphatically shaking his hand.

"Of course. Take care. I'll be by in a few hours. Oh and congratulations on your baby girl."

Marshall sunk down into the chair, a few tears of relief escaping. Mary was perfectly healthy. Everything was going to be okay.

* * *

A/N: Here endeth the angst lol for the most part. I hope you liked this chapter it's a little scattered but I suspect Marshall would be too at this point.

Reviews are lovely and so are all you readers. See you next week!


	11. Mary V

A/N: Hi all! Sorry I'm late with the update this week. I think I'm going to need to switch my update day to Sundays, just FYI.

Anyways, on to the story.

Summary: Just a short moment between Mary and Marshall after the surgery. Life moves forward and so are our favorite marshals.

Disclaimers: I own nothing.

* * *

Mary came to slowly, her mind clinging to the blissful peace of the anesthesia. But she quickly became aware of familiar calloused fingers passing back and forth over her knuckles.

"Marshall," she mumbled groggily.

"Hey, Mare." Marshall leaned forward to drop a kiss to her forehead, still holding her hand. "Are you awake for real this time?"

"How many times have I fake woken up?"

"Twice in recovery and once since we've been back," he chuckled.

"I'm up, doofus. Has the doctor come by yet?" She couldn't help the nervous tremble that found its way into her voice as she looked as she opened her eyes, focusing on Marshall.

His serene smile calmed her slightly.

"You're perfectly fine. They did remove two benign cysts but that was just because it was convenient. They weren't dangerous."

She let out the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding with a giggle, an actual real life giggle. Before she knew it she couldn't stop giggling, at least until Marshall placed both of his hands on her cheeks, moving so close he was the only thing she could see.

"Shhh, it's okay. It's okay," he soothed, "Deep breaths. You can finally breathe now. All the worry is over. Lexi is going to be perfect. You're perfect, it's all going to be okay. You can breathe now."

He was speaking to himself as much as he was speaking to her. It took a few minutes, but eventually she finally caught her breath.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"Any time," he breathed leaning his forehead against hers.

"I don't know what I would do without you."

"Kick ass. Take names. Same as always," he smiled moving back to sit, still holding onto her hand.

"I'm serious, Marshall. You've always been there with me. You've never turned your back on me even when I gave you every reason to."

"I could never leave you, Mare. I would never leave you. I lo…"

He stopped short, but Mary could guess what his next words were going to be. She wanted to say it back, but she knew if she said it now he would think it was panic. The timing had to be right.

Luckily for her, the doctor chose that moment to come in and by the time he left the charged atmosphere had dissipated.

"So, what did you do while I was in surgery?" Mary asked as she munched on crackers.

"Went home, grabbed some fresh clothes and a shower, and then I rescued your nursery from being painted puke green," he reported with a grin.

"Was Nancy Drew home?" Mary knew she normally had Friday's off.

"Yeah, she was. At least until she got called in. She sends her best wishes," he told her casually.

"Are you okay?"

Mary had a knot in her stomach. She was expecting him to say that they had gotten back together.

"Yeah, I am. There's a lot to figure out since we both gave up our apartments when we bought the house. I don't know what makes the most sense. I don't want to stay there, the house never felt quite right. I need to see if Abigail wants to stay or if we should just sell it. Then I'll have to go apartment hunting."

"You could always move in with me," Mary offered quietly and Marshall's eyes snapped to hers in surprise. "At least for the time being," she continued quickly, suddenly regretting the offer.

Marshall was quiet for a few moments, measuring his words Mary guessed.

"I suppose that does make the most sense, if you really think you can put up with me 24/7," he smiled, arching an eyebrow questioningly.

"Well you have to be a better housemate than Jinx," she deadpanned.

"I'm glad you're setting the bar so high," he retorted.

"So is that a yes?" she asked nervously.

"Yes, Mare."

"Good. You get the four AM diaper changes."

He chuckled, pressing a kiss to her palm.

"A small price to pay to live with my two favorite girls."

* * *

A/N: Kinda short so I apologize but I just needed this moment for both of them.


	12. Mary VI

A/N: I'm late again! I'm so sorry! I was having trouble deciding where the break up this chapter and I decided to end it here.  
As I write this, I feel that this particular story is coming to an end. I have two or three chapters sketched out to finish up the story. I want to thank you all for reading and favoriting and leaving comments it's been great. I am hoping to continue the story of our two favorite marshals in a separate story but more on that when this one is done. But I just wanted to let you all know what's to come.

This chapter has a touch of angst but it will be resolved in the next chapter so don't hate me too much.

Summary: Mary makes a decision after she gets the good news.

Rating: T for language

Warnings: language... ?, not much really.

Disclaimer: I own nothing :)

On to the story!

* * *

Once both Mary and Lexi had been given clean bills of health by the doctors, she finally let herself think about the future.

She knew that she couldn't bear to give up being a US marshal and that came with risks. Her first thought as she looked at Marshall's sleeping form was that there was no one else she would ever trust to raise Lexi. Unfortunately, he was also her partner which meant if something were to happen to her there was a good chance he would be right beside her. It was a thought she didn't entertain very often, but in this case she had to be realistic, so she continued to plan for her daughter.

Marshall's laptop was open on the bed as Mary sat in a large recliner and Marshall sat in a folding chair next to two marshals were comparing features of SUVs and minivans when Stan arrived.

"What difference does a sun roof make?" Marshall asked, clearly frustrated.

"It makes way more of a difference than whether or not it has individual TV screens or not," Mary argued back.

"So is this the kind of argument I'm going to have to listen to from now on?" Stan asked, amused.

"Probably," they answered together.

"Hi, Stan. How's work?"

"Everything is fine. Delia has really stepped up, and I've brought in a few marshals from El Paso to help out for the time being. How are you doing?" He asked pointedly.

Mary realized that neither of them had told him the outcome of the surgery, so she smiled reassuringly.

"They removed two benign cysts. I'm good to go."

His shoulders slumped in relief and he took the seat Marshall had vacated, opting to sit on the bed.

"Excellent. And how is little Lexi?"

"Getting stronger every day. They think we'll be able to take her home sometime next week."

"That's great, Mary. I'm so happy for you. If you need anything at all, just let me know."

"Thanks, Stan. I do have something I'd like to ask you."

She felt hesitant as she glanced between Marshall and Stan who were both looking at expectantly.

"What is it, inspector?"

"I was wondering if you would agree to be Lexi's godfather."

She resisted the urge to shut her eyes to avoid seeing the well-concealed hurt in Marshall's expression. She immediately regretted not talking to him about before she asked Stan.

Stan looked to Marshall for his cue, and he simply nodded.

"Of course, Mary. If that's what you want. I would be honored."

"Thank you. It means a lot to me."

"Since you're here, Stan, maybe we should go visit Lexi," Marshall suggested, breaking the awkward silence that had formed.

"That's a good idea," Mary agreed, easing herself out of the chair.

Marshall reached out to help her and she welcomed the contact.

"Are you good to walk?"

"Yeah. I'm good. I think."

Mary swayed slightly on her feet and Marshall refused to let go of her after that. He settled his hand on the small of her back as they walked to the NICU. It would have been comforting, but Mary could feel the tension radiating off of him.

Lexi had just been taken to be fed when they arrived. Disappointed they returned to Mary's room where they found Jinx and Brandi waiting.

"Hi, sweetheart. It's so good to see you up and about," Jinx greeted them.

"Hey, mom. Hey, squish. Is that paint in your hair?"

"We started painting the nursery," Brandi explained.

"Marshall helped us pick out the colors yesterday."

"Yeah, since you didn't trust us to do it on our own," Brandi remarked pointedly.

Mary shot her a confused look.

"What are you talking about, Squish?"

"Oh, don't play dumb, Mary. We know you sent Marshall to check up on us yesterday."

Her eyes flew to his and his expression clearly said play along, so she did.

"It's not that I don't trust you. I just knew Marshall had already picked out the colors and had the paint swatches. It seemed stupid for you to have to stress and debate when we already knew what we wanted."

The pair accepted the answer at face value.

"Are you all going to be around for a bit?" Marshall asked suddenly.

"I have a class at four, but I can stay until then," Jinx offered.

Brandi nodded her agreement.

"Great. I need to go talk to Abby about the house situation. I'll be back in a few hours."

"I should head out as well. I'll come by again tomorrow."

"Okay, thanks, Stan."

He smiled and nodded his goodbyes to Jinx and Brandi. Marshall helped her into her chair, and she held onto his hand when he started to leave.

"You'll be back right?"

Whatever feelings he had about her asking Stan to be Lexi's godfather, they weren't strong enough to overwhelm his instinct to comfort her, so he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

"Yeah, Mare. I'll be back in a few hours. I promise. Be good for the nurses."

"I will. Hurry back, Marshall."

* * *

A/N: So like I said, a little angst but nothing that can't be fixed with some heartfelt conversation. Hope you enjoyed! Reviews are lovely.


	13. Marshall VII

A/N: Hi there! So sorry I missed last week's update but things were crazy and tbh I was kind of blocked on this chapter.

ALSO: This is going to be the last chapter my loves. I know I said that there were going to be two or three more chapters including this one, but it just felt natural to wrap up here. There will be an epilogue, though (so I didn't totally miss the mark). And hopefully I'll have some info on a follow up series that I want to do, but this is the last big part of this story.

Summary: Marshall thinks hard about what Mary picking Stan as godfather means. Our favorite Marshals get to meet Lexi face to face.

Rating: T

Warnings: Language

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

And away we goooo!

* * *

Marshall wasn't quite sure why it hurt so much when Mary asked Stan to Lexi's godfather.

Okay, that was a lie. He knew exactly why it hurt.

He had spent the entirety of the pregnancy making it clear to Mary that she and her baby were his priority, and he thought that over the past week she had finally understood that. So it stung when she chose Stan. He knew that Mary must have had good reasons, but at that point he just needed to get out of there and clear his head.

His discussion with Abby was short. She didn't want to stay in the house either, and offered to deal with the realtor and split the sale with him.

While Marshall was relieved that one thing was settled, he was disappointed that the conversation hadn't taken longer. He wasn't quite ready to face Mary, so he opted to start packing some of his things. As he sorted through his clothes, he also tried to sort through his emotions.

He knew that Mary cared about him. He knew that she wanted him in Lexi's life. Hell, she had asked him to move in to help take care of her. He had thought that she was ready for more, but maybe he was wrong.

 _Or maybe that's exactly why she didn't ask you to be godfather_.

He pushed away the thought. He didn't want to give his fantasies extra fodder.

By the time all of his suitcases were filled, he had convinced himself that just because Mary had named Stan as godfather, that didn't mean that she didn't want him to be a big part of Lexi's life. He had also realized that he loving Mary meant accepting what she could give him when she could give it. And he was okay with that.

With the turmoil quieted, he had started to miss Mary, so he raced to the hospital to see her.

The hallway was quiet, quiet enough that he could hear Mary's voice floating out of her room. His footsteps slowed as he tried to figure out who was with her.

"I've got to be honest with you, Lexi." Marshall's heart soared at the thought of Lexi being strong enough to be out of NICU. He decided not to interrupt Mary's first few moments with her, and opted to settle in the chair outside. "Your real daddy isn't going to be around. But you have lots of people who love you, like your grandma and your Aunt Brandi. They're a little crazy, okay a lot crazy but they love you. And they will try to show it in their own ways. They're better now than they were before so I think you'll get the chance to love them too."

Marshall smiled at the forgiveness he could hear in her voice.

"Hopefully you'll also have an Uncle Peter. And you will definitely have your Uncle Stan. He's your godfather and he's going to protect you if anything happens to us."

 _Us?_

Marshall didn't have time to ponder who us was before Mary mentioned him by name.

"And then you have Marshall. But he's not your uncle." His heart sank a little. "I thought about making him your godfather, but I couldn't. I think that hurt him, but you see, bug, he's my partner at work. And mommy has a dangerous job. If anything ever happens to me in the line of duty, chances are Marshall will be right beside me. So that's why I picked your uncle Stan."

Marshall completely understood her decision, but he couldn't deny the nugget of disappointment. He was about to make his presence known when she continued speaking.

"There's another reason Marshall won't be your uncle. He's much, much more than that, bug. He'll be more of a father to you than Mark ever could have been. He is the best man I have ever known and I love him. For that and for so many other reasons. I haven't told him yet because I don't think he's ready to believe me, so let's keep that between us. But I know he loves both of us, so he'll be your real dad. Even if he's not blood. Because I'm choosing your family, and he is my one and only choice for your father. It's too bad it took me so long to realize."

Marshall thought he was going to pass out from joy. Mary loved him and wanted him to be Lexi's father. His hopes and dreams weren't so far off the mark. Her comment about him not believing that she loved him threw him slightly, but as he thought about it, he knew she was right. With everything that had happened, his own fear would have made him chock her admission up to hormones or worry or something else. For once Mary had the upperhand on reading emotions.

When his inner monologue subsided he realized Mary had move on to a more in depth history of her dysfunctional family and he couldn't bear to be away from the two most important people in his life a moment longer.

"You've upgraded your company since I left," he teased leaning against the doorway.

"Marshall! You're back!" The relief in Mary's tone broke his heart a little. He never wanted her to lose faith in him. "Just in time to meet someone very special."

He greeted her with a kiss on the cheek.

"How are my two favorite girls?"

"Better now." Shifting the baby in her arms so she was looking at Marshall, Mary cooed at her daughter. "Say hi to Marshall, Lexi. Say hi to da…."

She stopped herself, but he knew what she had been about to say and he couldn't hide his smile.

"Hi there, Lexi. You are the most beautiful baby. Just like your mom."

The infant giggled and beamed at him, reaching out.

"Do you want to hold her?"

Marshall glanced at Mary, unsure. Her expression was soft, open. She nodded to let him know it was okay.

"Yes, please."

He sat on the edge of the bed and held his arms out. Mary carefully tucked her into the cradle of his arms.

"Hello, Lexi. I love you so much already. I promise to always be here for you. And your mom."

Bouncing her slightly, Marshall smiled down at Lexi.

"I love you, Marshall."

His eyes snapped up to meet Mary's apprehensive gaze. Her expressive green eyes were screaming vulnerability at him as she held her breath.

"I love you, Mary. Always have. Always will."

The worry lines in her forehead smoothed as she exhaled.

Lexi interrupted any follow up conversation when she started to cry and reach for Mary. Marshall quickly handed her over and watched in awe as Mary comforted her. Maternal Mary was a sight he never thought he'd see, but he couldn't deny that it suited her perfectly.

She was still glowing when the nurse came in to return Lexi to the nursery for the night.

"I think Lexi already recognizes you," Mary yawned.

"Well that's good since she'll be seeing an awful lot of me," he chuckled. "Tired?"

"A little. I think everything is finally hitting me."

He nodded understandingly.

"You should get some sleep then."

"There's something I need to do first."

"What's that?"

She pushed herself up from her reclining position so she was eye to eye with Marshall.

"About me asking Stan to be Lexi's godfather… I'm sorry I didn't talk to you first. I decided this morning and was going to talk to you tonight, but when Stan was here I just really wanted to ask him."

"Of course."

"I just want you to know, the reason I didn't pick you is because I want you to be more than that to Lexi, if you want to…" she added, suddenly sounding unsure of herself.

"There's nothing I want more, Mare. You had a baby. That means we had a baby."

"And about what I said earlier… you may think it's just the craziness of the past week, and maybe that's what made me finally realize it, but I mean it. I love you Marshall."

"I love you too."

Her next words came out quietly, shyly. "Will you kiss me?"

For once, Marshall decided to forgo words and instead leaned forward, closing the distance between them and pressing his lips gently against hers just as he had the first time she had asked a few days ago. This time however, Mary slid her hands into his hair and deepened the kiss for just a moment before pulling back. Marshall couldn't contain his grin.

"Stop grinning like the damn Cheshire Cat, doofus."

She shoved lightly at his shoulder, her own smile widening.

"Not a chance. You made my dreams come true."

* * *

A/N: So there you go, the end of the story (apart from the epilogue) I hope it was satisfying. I just wanted to thank you all for all of the love and support you have given me over the course of the past few months. I was super nervous about posting such a long term story but it has been an amazing experience. So thank you all!

As always, reviews are lovely, but be kind. 3


	14. Epilogue

Rating: T for language

* * *

Six months later (Mary's POV)

Lexi's cries had woken Mary but Marshall had beat her to the room.

She watched from the doorway as Marshall gently bounced Lexi as he paced the floor of the nursery, humming. She couldn't help but smile at the sight.

She had expected it to be awkward living with her partner of eight years, but Marshall had moved into the guest room and it felt like something that had been missing had finally settled into place. Before a week was up, Mary had suggested he make the move permanent. Marshall had been eager to agree.

They had an unspoken agreement that they weren't going to label their newfound relationship, but there was no question about Marshall's role in Lexi's life. They already had a bet on whether she would say "Mama" or "Dada" first. Every single moment she spent building her family with Marshall, she fell more in love with him. But it was times like these, when she saw the two most important people in her life together that she was almost overwhelmed.

"You can go back to bed, Mare. I've got her," Marshall whispered, snapping her out of her reverie.

"And miss you in full on dad mode?" she teased, pecking him on the lips. "Never."

She settled into one of the wicker rockers as Lexi continued to fuss.

"Shhh, shh, Lexi. Daddy's here. Daddy's got you."

"Fatherhood suits you."

"I always wanted to be a dad," he admitted, meeting Mary's gaze. "Even more than I wanted to be a marshal."

"Are you disappointed that this isn't the most conventional way to make a family?" she asked after a moment.

"Not at all." He laid Lexi back in her crib now that she had settled and sat down next to Mary. "It may not be conventional, but it's perfect. Because it's with you."

"I have no idea what I did to deserve you."

"Me neither," he shrugged.

She rolled her eyes and punched him in the arm. Marshall swatted her back.

"Jackass. I can't believe you'd hit a girl." She glared at him in mock outrage.

"You're no girl," he practically snorted.

"I thought I was your girl," she batted he eyelashes innocently.

"Actually, you're my exotic animal."

Mary laughed and kissed him.

"Shut up, doofus. You're talking too much again."

"One last thing." She waited expectantly. "I love you, Mary Shannon."

"I love you too, Marshall Mann. And I love our happy little family."

* * *

A/N: So this is it. The end of the road for this story. Thanks so much for reading and favoriting and following and reviewing. You all are the absolute best readers an writer can ask for. I hope you've enjoyed reading this story as I have writing it. I just love our two favorite marshals so much! Anyways, I do have a sequel planned, but right now I don't have the time to write it. :( But hopefully, things will settle down soon and I'll be able to tell you more about it, and give you some more Mary/Marshall fluff! Thanks again for everything loves. 3 Stay lovely.


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